Head First
by Lightdemondarkangel
Summary: After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter… DeanBuffy... SupernaturalBtVS ::Complete::
1. Long Story Short

Head First

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

Summary: After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

Spoilers: Post "Chosen" and before the season of Supernatural!

Authors Notes: I know that Buffy ended in 2003, but for the story to work, I need the show to have ended in 2002, so yea, Chosen took place in May of '02 now!

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**Long Story Short**

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**Hyperion Hotel- Los Angeles 2002**

"Get that thing out of my face before I rip it off," Buffy growled at the naked form that stood before her.

"You almost ripped it off last night with your mouth," the man muttered under his breath, not aware of the fact that Buffy could hear him.

She counted to ten, ever so slowly, before sitting up on the bed, the sheets sticking to her body. Buffy took in her surroundings, the large room that had been her home for the past few months after the collapse of the Hellmouth. She regretted the bright colors which were aiding in the pain of her hangover.

Whatever happened to not drinking ever again? Or at least, not a lot of it?

"What exactly happened?" Buffy asked the man, who's name was forgotten.

"Long story short, we were both pretty much drunk and obviously you couldn't take your eyes off of me," the man smirked. "And here we are."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're full of yourself?"

"Plenty, but I choose to ignore it."

There was that smirk again. And that's when the memories of the past night came flooding back to Buffy. Yes, she was drunk, but not stupid drunk. It was all his fault, with his bright smile, hard abs, and perfect ass.

'_Don't look any further,' _Buffy told herself. She had already met the little guy last night and didn't need another visual of him.

"I'm up here," he laughed as he noticed Buffy's gaze resting on his midsection.

"Can we just forget what I just did?" Buffy smiled innocently.

"Nope, but I do have that affect on women."

"Stop smirking!" Buffy yelled in frustration. "Or I'll do something of the harming nature."

"Says the woman who is naked with no available clothes," he deadpanned while holding up Buffy's clothing.

"And why aren't you wearing any?" Buffy asked as he handed her his clothes.

"Well, I would, but you, with your short self, ripped them to pieces."

"Oh. Well, Xander may have some clothes that you could wear," Buffy stopped herself at the mention of the Scooby Gang.

How would her friends handle this? It was their fault she was in this mess! They said she needed a break from delegating all of the potential turned slayers. They forced her to go out and relax. And she did, three times…

"Scared someone is going to see you with a man?" he smirked again.

"Listen, you, I have nothing to be scared of. I just don't want any yelling at this early hour."

"Dean."

"What?" Buffy was caught off guard.

"I'm more than just 'you.' My name is Dean, Dean Winchester," he offered her his hand.

"Buffy Summers," she shook his hand. "And I don't know what you expected from last night, but I really don't have time for a relationship."

Which was true. Slayer and friends were a good thing to have, but slayer and boyfriend, not so much. And she really didn't need a boyfriend she would have to worry about because he was a human. It took too much time to explain the supernatural, anyway.

"Same here, I don't even live in Los Angeles," Dean nodded. He was only here to rest before he continued up to Stanford to check on Sammy. He knew his brother wanted to be away from the hunting, preferring to go to college at Stanford, but that wouldn't stop Dean from visiting and watching him from afar. He still needed his older brother's protection, even if Sammy wouldn't admit it.

"Good, it's settled, this was drunken, meaningless sex," Buffy summed up the previous night.

"Right, I should probably go then, but I need those clothes."

Dean turned away from Buffy as she dressed herself. She walked to the door of her room, opened it slightly, and stuck her head out into the hall. The coast was clear as Buffy walked as quickly and calmly as she could to Xander's room.

She knocked once, then twice. Upon hearing no grunts or spoke words, Buffy opened the door and walked inside. On the bed was lump, more than likely Xander. He was probably sore from patrolling with the newbie slayers.

She went to his closet, picking out clothes Xander wouldn't miss. Which meant she was leaving the Hawaiian shirts behind and settling for the sweat pants and shirt.

"Develop an interest in my fashion sense?" Xander yawned from his bed.

Buffy nearly jumped through the ceiling. "No, I just needed some clothes of yours for a project."

"Would that project involve the man you brought home last night?" Xander smirked.

"I've had enough smirking today, but yes," Buffy sighed.

"Don't worry, no one knows, except Willow, but she's tough when she wants answers," Xander whined as he rubbed the bruise from Willow's pinching.

"He's leaving and we'll never see him again, so let's forget about this ever happening, okay?" Buffy's eyes flashed in anger.

"Of course," Xander gulped. "This is all a dream."

"You bet it is," Buffy said as she walked from his room.

She walked back to her room, thankful that no one was in the hall again. She could hide from the rest of the inhabitants of the Hyperion, but not Angel and newly resurrected Spike. They'd smell Dean on her a mile away.

And that would lead to dismemberment.

"Just because you have no clothes doesn't mean you can just sit there uncovered," Buffy said as she threw the clothes at Dean.

"You don't like me nude?" Dean asked as he sprawled out on the bed.

"No," Buffy lied. "You have to leave now before someone finds you."

"Fine," Dean said as he pulled the pants on. "But you owe me underwear."

"I'll mail you briefs," Buffy said rolling her eyes.

"Briefs couldn't contain this," Dean gestured to himself.

"Get your mind out of the gutter and get out!" Buffy yelled.

"You know you love it," Dean smirked once more as he walked out of the room. He kissed Buffy on the cheek, who almost melted, but kept her composure. "See you never, I guess."

'_Damn that body,' _Buffy mentally slapped herself.

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And here we go again… Another Buffy/Supernatural! The next chapter will be the day after this chapter, Buffy's POV… Then chapter three will be Dean's POV… After that, to the future… 2006... Or is it present?

Read and review please!


	2. Damn the Booze, Buffy

Head First

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

Summary: After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

Spoilers: Post "Chosen" and before the season of Supernatural!

Authors Notes: Now remember, I changed the year, so means the ages as well! In 2002, the present, Buffy is 21, Sam is 18, and Dean is 22...

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**Damn the Booze, Buffy**

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**Hyperion Hotel- Los Angeles 2002**

"Was he at least good?" Willow asked as she tried not to laugh. She failed miserably as she fell off Buffy's bed in laughter.

"With a capital fantastic," Buffy groaned.

"Does that even make sense?" Xander asked from his reclined chair. "I'm not seeing the sense of it."

"You're not supposed to," Willow rolled her eyes. "It's a girl thing and you wouldn't understand."

"I'm pretty sure that I don't want to."

"Can we get back to me and my problems please?" Buffy asked.

"How do you feel about Dean?" Willow asked quietly. "Why is it you're so miserable if it was just a one time thing?"

"From what I can remember of my drunken night, which I have you two to thank for by the way, I actually liked him."

"Our fault?"

"Liked him like Angel like him or liked him like Spike like him?"

"Two things, I repeat, our fault? And number two, Willow, that made no sense either!" Xander yelled frustrated.

"Yes, your fault," Buffy turned to him. "I was fine and dandy patrolling, but you sent me to have fun and unwind. And yes, I did unwind, a little too much."

"Fine, we will take blame for that, but can someone explain the whole Angel and Spike like thing?"

"You've known us for how long and you can't figure out our speech?" Willow smirked.

"I lost my book of translations when the Hellmouth went poof," Xander fired back.

"Fine, Angel like was Buffy acting all school girl around him, getting those butterflies in your stomach. Spike like was Buffy being ravaged or even doing the ravaging herself."

"You've thought about this a lot, huh?" Buffy quirked an eyebrow.

"I had to do something when I stopped using magic," Willow shrugged.

"So how _do _you feel about this Dean?" Xander asked.

Buffy honestly didn't know what to tell her friends. If this was just about the sex they had, then she'd happily tell them that it was good. More than good, it was fantastic, but that's another story that Xander will never hear.

Did she really want a relationship with Dean? He was arrogant, but when it came down to it, he was genuinely a nice guy. But it was too late to get him back now considering he left hours ago and he didn't leave a phone number. They both agreed that it was all about sex, nothing more. But now she wanted more… She thought.

"If he were here now, then I might consider having a relationship of some kind with him," Buffy said slowly.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to track him down for the ol' Buffster," Xander sighed as he stood from his chair.

"No, just leave him," Buffy waved her hand. "We came to an agreement and I will stick to that. I don't want to take him from whatever life he has."

"Are you sure?" Xander asked. "Willow could track him down in a second."

"Thanks for asking," Willow huffed. "I'm not some magical whore who puts out with her abilities."

"There will be no whoring of any sort," Buffy said. She was glad Dean was gone. He wouldn't have to meet her dysfunctional family, though she wouldn't trade them for anything.

"Now that that's settled, we can bury this whole Dean issue and move on," Xander spoke.

"Right, what's on the books for today?" Buffy asked thoughts of Dean now forgotten.

What she didn't know, was that because of their drunken carelessness, no condom was used. Though slayers having children were rare, Buffy herself was a rare slayer. And it only took that one time, slayer or not, to get pregnant.

"I've got a bun in the oven," Willow said. At the shocked looked on her friends faces, she decided to clarify. "I'm baking."

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I didn't want to end the chapter with you knowing Buffy was pregnant; it seemed a little overdone… So I settled for Willow saying something humorous. I thought it to be humorous, anyway…

Read and review please!

Dean's story is next!


	3. It Was For the Best Right?

Head First

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

Summary: After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

Spoilers: Post "Chosen" and before the season of Supernatural!

Authors Notes: Now remember, I changed the year, so means the ages as well! In 2002, the present, Buffy is 21, Sam is 18, and Dean is 22...

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**It Was For the Best… Right?**

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**Stanford University- 2002**

No regrets…

"No regrets, my ass," Dean muttered under his breath as he watched his brother share a laugh with friends.

After getting out of a dodge, otherwise known as Los Angeles, Dean couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his head that he shouldn't have left.

There was something about Buffy, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She was hot, but he could easily see that. She was funny and sweet, but also had a dangerous side, from what he could remember from their night together.

She was unassuming when they met, which thrilled Dean considering he made up the worst lie he could ever think of. She saw through it, but didn't push. That led Dean to wondering about her life. All he knew was that she once lived in the town of Sunnydale and was staying at a place that was owned by her friend.

His curiosity meter went off when he remembered what Sunnydale was. A hot zone for supernatural activity. The town collapsed on itself, though Dean didn't know why. All he knew was that his dad had forbid him and Sam from ever going near the place.

It was being protected, but their dad never revealed by who.

Ever since their night together, Dean couldn't help but wonder whether or not Buffy would have been accepting of his lifestyle. She had to have seen supernatural occurrences when she lived in the town, right?

Though, some people ignore things that were so obvious.

"She wouldn't have been able to handle it," Dean told himself. "Remember the mission; you don't have time to settle down."

His eyes followed his brother as he waved goodbye to his friends and kissed his girlfriend. He ran inside a building, probably late for class.

"Would you still be in college if your friends knew what you used do, Sam?" Dean sighed. He wanted a normal life, but he'd never be able to escape the hunt. "Would it be a bad idea to get him kicked out of school?"

Dean shook the thought away. As much as he would love to have the family together again in the business, he wanted Sam to be happy. And if it meant going to college and pretending to ignore the things that went bump in the night, then so be it.

"Maybe I should try it," Dean laughed. "Go back to L.A. and be with Buffy."

The more he thought about it, the less likely it was going to happen. If he stayed with Buffy, he'd still hunt. This would cause her to get upset, thinking he was seeing someone else. He'd propose just to get her to shut up about it.

After marriage, he'd give up on hunting, thinking it was for the best. After getting a good job, they'd have a kid or two, but their would always be the feeling of not being satisfied. He'd sneak out and fight again. Buffy would jump to conclusions again and Dean would have an ultimatum.

Stay with Buffy and the kids, or go back to hunting, his true life's work.

"She'd kill me after she'd hear my choice," Dean said.

Maybe it was best to just leave the past as the past.

A knock on the car window snapped Dean back to reality. He turned and saw the campus security guard standing outside.

Dean rolled the window down and looked up at the man. "Can I help you, sir?"

"You can't park here," the man shoved his thumb to the no parking sign. "You're gonna have to move."

"Stupid rent-a-cop," Dean muttered.

"What was that, sir?" the man raised an eyebrow.

"I said right away," Dean smirked before he rolled the window up.

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So, not much humor here, but don't worry… Next chapter, we arrive in the present… 2006... Should be much funnier!


	4. Never Live It Down

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Authors Note:** It is now 2006, so the ages thus far are: Buffy is 25, Sam is 22, and Dean is 26...

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**Never Live It Down**

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**Cleveland, Ohio- 2006**

The ride was silent as they drove down the Interstate. Sam wasn't talking to Dean because they were forced to abandon their dad back in Chicago. He knew it was the right decision to make, but he didn't have to life it.

Dean was mad at Sam for being a baby about the whole ordeal. That, and Dean had to cough up the change to get through the many toll booths that were in Ohio. It wasn't like Sam was broke or anything, so why should he pay for the both of them to make it from one city to another?

"Can you at least kick out the money to get the room?" Dean glared at his brother as they parked in the lot of the Sunset Inn.

Without a word, Sam opened the door, stepped out, slammed the door, and walked to get a room.

"Good," Dean said under his breath. He turned the Impala off and retrieved the bags from the trunk. He made sure to 'accidentally' forget Sam's bag.

He waited by the car until he saw Sam with the motel key in his hands. He pushed past Sam as soon as the door was opened and claimed a bed.

"Where are my bags?" Sam sighed.

Dean threw his hand in the general direction of the car without looking at Sam as he riffled through his duffel bag.

Sam glared at the back of Dean's head before walking out to the car.

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Buffy Summers was beyond tired. Having to deal with hormonal slayers, the occasional apocalypse, defense classes, and a now four year old daughter was exhausting work.

But, she forced herself to stay awake with her current task. The people at S & W United had somehow missed a slayer in their own city. So of course, Buffy was expected to go to the slayer and give her the breakdown on her new destiny that she probably wasn't even aware of having.

So here she was, at the Sunset Inn, recruiting another girl.

"You don't have to do this, but you'd be getting the training that would help you if something were to happen," Buffy said. "Not that something would happen, but y'know, if it did."

The girl, Hannah, smiled and nodded. "I want to go, but I don't have any way to pay for it."

"Don't worry about that," Buffy smiled. "This isn't like your average college. The only people that pay are the Watcher's since they're getting the 'real' education. The only time you pay is if something happens where we make you, but you don't look like the trouble causing person."

"Nope, I am completely safe and innocent," the girl smiled again.

"And it's usually the innocent ones who do the most damage," Buffy smirked. "You can pack your things and check out; I'll be waiting by the car."

Buffy left the room, patting herself on the back for having another slayer accept her offer of being trained. As she got closer to the car, she couldn't help but catch sight of an older one.

It looked strangely familiar, but Buffy couldn't put her finger on it. Like a baseball bat, the memory came back to Buffy.

This was _his _car.

'_But it couldn't be!' _Buffy thought to herself. The trunk was open, which meant someone was looking through it. Buffy decided to check for herself as she ventured off the walkway that led to the motel rooms. She walked behind the car and spotted someone else. She breathed a sigh of relief as the man turned to her.

"Nice car," Buffy said lamely before walking to her own.

The man smiled at Buffy's retreating form before heading to his room.

As soon as Buffy got in the car, things went downhill from there. She put the car in reverse, but she wound up hitting the man's car. She probably would have gunned it, if the noise wasn't so loud that the guy stepped out of his room to see what happened.

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Dean had watched Sam looked out the door, and he wondered what happened. That's when the feeling hit him. Something was wrong with the car.

Dean raced past Sam, his jaw hitting the ground as he saw the damn car the ruined his baby's bumper. He rushed over to the driver, Sam right behind him.

The driver stepped out, only to be a woman. A woman that Dean knew.

"Looks like besides owing me underwear, you owe me money to fix my car," Dean smirked.

Buffy rolled her eyes at Dean's choice of greeting. "Some things never change Dean Winchester."

He was ready for Buffy to say a smart remark; the reason Dean liked her, when she looked at Sam and himself. She studied their faces intently. That's when Dean cursed himself. They may have stitched themselves up after dealing with Meg, but the fight was still evident in the bruises on their faces.

"Why don't you two come by for dinner?" she offered. "You and I can catch on the past four years."

Buffy gave them directions to her place as a girl, no older than 16 ran toward Buffy holding bags that no 16 year old girl should be able to carry. "I'm ready to go."

'_Hmm, strange,' _Dean thought to himself.

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Well…? Next chapter, Buffy and Scoobs have dinner with the brothers… It's going to be hard to keep secrets, especially with troublesome slayers!

Review please!


	5. Operation Low Key

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Authors Note:** It is now 2006, so the ages thus far are: Buffy is 25, Sam is 22, and Dean is 26...

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**Operation Low Key**

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**Cleveland, Ohio- 2006**

Sam sat in the passenger seat looking out the window. He so wanted to ask Dean about what happened a few hours ago, but his brother only told him to get ready for dinner.

He had no idea who this woman was. Dean hadn't even said her nameas they changed or made themselves more presentable. So Sam was left making his own conclusions.

This woman, she sounded like she was from California because of the way she spoke. Dean had obviously met her there when he was on a hunt of some sort. He knew they had sex, because that was pretty much a given, especially when Dean made the comment about her owing him underwear.

From what it seemed liked, their relationship didn't last that long, but they seemed happy to see each other, which usually didn't happen with Dean and other women.

"Just ask the question, Sammy," Dean sighed as he watched the road. "And stop thinking, I can hear you from over here."

With a shrug, Sam began his list of questions, "Who is she?"

"That's the best question you have," Dean laughed. "Her name is Buffy Summers and we met four years ago."

"I have more coming," Sam digested the information. "How'd you meet her?"

Dean decided on how to answer the question. It was easy to tell him the truth, but that would mean he'd have to tell Sam that he checked up on him when he was at college, and he was not going to have Sam either yelling or smirking at him because of it.

"I was driving through Los Angeles and stopped at a bar."

"You met her at a bar?" Sam asked in disbelief. From what he could see of Buffy, she didn't seem like the bar going type.

"Trust me, I thought it was weird too, but she held her own," Dean laughed at the scattered memory. Though he could barely remember a lot of what happened four years ago, the memory of Buffy knocking a drunken man down was still fresh in his mind.

"So what happened?" Sam continued. "I'm going to assume that you slept with her."

"Bet your ass I did," Dean smirked. "We didn't really remember much the next morning in her hotel. But we decided that it was better to leave it alone and move on."

"Doesn't seem like you wanted to move on," Sam said as he looked at his brother's face. He didn't think he'd ever see actual compassion on his face for a woman.

"I didn't, but it was too late to do anything about it," Dean shrugged. "And besides, I don't think I could have lied to her about hunting. She saw through my fake story of being in L.A."

"What are you going to tell her about the past four years then?"

"A partial truth, maybe," Dean answered. "But remember, we're eating dinner with her family."

"Dean, I'm old enough to know not to spill the truth," Sam said frustrated.

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Many of the slayers that were in the foyer, which was bigger than most of the rooms of the S & W Central, were happily fooling around the large area. Though they had a recreation area, there were just certain objects in the foyer thatwasfun to play with.

Buffy and the other adults at the school had tried to stop the girls from playing around, but they just kept on doing it. No matter how many times they were disciplined, the slayers were always in the foyer.

Today, however, wasn't like a normal day. They were playing around when Buffy literally jumped from the first floor hallway that overlooked the foyer and landed in the center of the room.

"Lexa!" Buffy yelled, "Get off of the chandelier and go to your room or the rec room!"

The girl was going to protest, but one look at Buffy's face told the girl that she wasn't playing around. She quickly jumped from the chandelier to the first floor hallway and walked away.

"You girls know the drill," Buffy warned. "We have non supernatural people coming over and it wouldn't do well to have them wigging out because some slayer decided to impress them. No one is allowed, unless through extreme circumstances, to enter the Scooby dining room."

The girls nodded their heads, all the while rolling their eyes. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Whenever a normal human came around, they had to pretend to be a normal all girls private school and leave them alone unless it was necessary to disturb them.

Just as the girls were walking away, the loud doorbell could be heard. She knew getting one that was loud enough to be heard around the school could be useful. She had hoped the noise had warned everyone to get ready.

With her package in hand, Buffy opened the large doors. She was greeted with Dean and Sam, who looked impressed with the place.

"You went from living in a hotel to owning a private school?" Dean quirked an eyebrow. "Mysterious."

"I'm a mystery wrapped in an enigma," Buffy nodded. She threw Dean the package, which he caught and inspected.

"What did I say about not being able to be contained?" Dean smirked as he held up the briefs.

"Selective hearing," Buffy shrugged. "Are you going to introduce me to the cutie?"

Sam had no idea who she was talking about. For some reason, it never occurred to Sam that she was talking about him. It was rare that when woman saw Dean they looked to Sam. He actually turned around to see the person Buffy was talking about.

"Sam, this is Buffy, Buffy this is Sam," Dean said. He noticed Sam's look, "And don't think just because she called you a 'cutie' that you're special."

Sam laughed as Buffy led them into the building. How did someone who lived in a hotel go to owning a private school?

"When I was in L.A. my friends and I were living in my ex-boyfriend's hotel. It was abandoned, and they used it to run their business. They changed to another building and so it was left to us."

"And the private school?"

"My mentor, who was practically my dad worked for the original school, but after a fire burnt it down, he was left in charge and we made the school here," Buffy shrugged as she opened another set of doors that admitted them to the Scooby dining room.

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After the introductions of Giles, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Faith, Wood, Kennedy, Vi, Rona, and Andrew were made, the conversations were tense. That was when both groups realized how much their lives dealt with the supernatural. They couldn't have a proper talk because they usually revolved around the supernatural.

So, after Dean and Buffy told their story about how they met, which everyone already knew, they inquired their Dean and Sam.

"Our job takes us around the country," Sam had answered.

"We work for our dad, but we can't really tell you what we do," Dean contributed. "Confidentiality and all that."

The dinner was quiet the rest of the night, random conversations started that were quickly ended. It was pretty much a boring dinner.

That was until one of the slayers came running into the room with a panicked expression on her face.

"Something wrong?" Buffy eyed the girl.

The girl gulped and opened her mouth to speak. "One of the, um, pets got loose."

"Did you put the pet back?" Buffy asked tightly.

"We couldn't because it was one of the bigger pets," the girl answered. "And it's kinda coming this way."

"I'll handle it, B," Faith rose from her chair. She looked toward Dean and Sam's confused faces, "Just a little pet problem, I'll be back in a second."

"What kind of pets do you have here?" Dean asked worried after he watched Faith leave.

"Nothing you should worry about," Buffy smiled. That was before they heard the crash coming from a nearby room.

"Son of a bitch!" Faith could be heard yelling.

"Angry puppy," Willow added weakly. "Are you guys going to be in Cleveland long?"

Dean was going to speak when the doors to the room were thrown opened by Faith's body. She slid across the polished floor before standing up and smoothing out her clothes.

"It's rabid," was all Faith said before walking back out the doors, closing them behind her. "Stop the fucker from getting to the doors!"

They hadn't heard another noise coming from outside the room, but Faith still hadn't returned. After what seemed like hours, crying could be heard.

All heads swiveled to the doors as a little girl came running in with tears in her eyes. Faith was running after her. "I tried to stop her but she's a quick one when she wants to be."

"And how's my favorite four year old doing?" Xander asked when the girl walked past him to Buffy.

Something inside Dean awakened when he looked at the girl. Blonde, green eyes, definitely Buffy's daughter. But why hadn't she mentioned her.

'_She's four?' _Dean asked himself.

Realization dawned on Dean as he choked on his water. Buffy and the others had noticed this with worried expressions.

"It was a nice dinner, but we really have to go," Dean grabbed Sam who looked ready to argue. "It was nice seeing you."

Buffy showed them out, dreading what just happened as she walked back to the dining room to see her daughter in her chair.

"Are you mad mommy?" she asked when Buffy knelt in front of her.

"Of course not Marilyn," Buffy smiled.

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"What the hell was that?" Sam asked as he climbed into the car. "Didn't think kids scared you that much."

"They do when they are mine," Dean said. At Sam's blank stare he continued, "I think she's my daughter."

"Oh."

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I was going to name her Meg, but I figured that would be too cliche or whatever... What'd you think?


	6. Confide

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Authors Note:** It is now 2006, so the ages thus far are: Buffy is 25, Sam is 22, and Dean is 26...

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**Confide**

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**Cleveland, Ohio**

Sam had so wanted to smack Dean upside the head, but he knew it wouldn't help matters, but it would definitely make him feel better. Dean had just brushed off the fact that he had a daughter and left her and the mom behind.

Was he even planning on going back?

"So when you were in Los Angeles, you did more than just hook up?" Sam finally asked when they got back to their motel room.

"I thought we used protection, but we were pretty drunk," Dean laughed hollowly.

"This isn't funny, Dean!" Sam barked. "How could you have been so stupid about this? Are you going to go claim responsibility because I can't see you raising a child during the day and hunting at night!"

"I'm not going to just let Buffy raise our daughter alone," Dean snapped. "I just have to find a way to let _her _know that."

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"Am I telling Dean about Marilyn or not?" Buffy asked the Scoobies that she had invited to her room after the whole dinner fiasco.

"Considering how fast he left," Xander spoke first, "I think it's safe to assume that he knows Marilyn is his."

The three others in the room nodded their heads in agreement. They had never seen someone move that fast before, except a slayer of course, and unless the spell of Willow's awoken the power in males, then Dean most definitely knew the truth.

"He didn't seem upset about it," Willow assured. "So that's a good, right?"

Buffy nodded her head. Dean did look like the vocal type when he needed to be and he hadn't said anything other than a goodbye when he practically ran for the door.

"I think the answer is leading to a yes," Buffy smiled. That smile was quickly gotten rid of when Faith, of all people, started talking.

"If he comes into her life, then what?" she asked. "We tell him that Buffy's a slayer and this whole school is training to fight demons and shit?"

"We can ease him into it, I'm sure," Dawn sighed. "I mean, it's not like we haven't done it before."

"Yea, but what about the fact that his daughter has some slayer like tendencies and is a practicing witch at the age of four?"

"She wouldn't be a witch if someone didn't show her some spells," Buffy glared at Willow who tried to look as innocent as she could.

"She was interested, and it's easier to learn at a young age," Willow shrugged.

"It doesn't matter who started all of it, just thatshe knows it and Dean may freak about _that_," Faith finished.

"What are you going to do, Buffy?" Dawn asked her older sister.

Buffy could only stare at the picture of Marilyn and herself sitting on the dresser next to her bed.

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Sam knew he was wrong for doing this. And Dean was going to kill him when he found out what he was doing.

He had left the motel, some excuse about scoping out the town, to talk to Buffy. The entire drive there, he was thinking about this new situation that Dean was in. His older brother was dad. So far a lousy one, but nevertheless, he was still a dad.

Wait a second… If Dean was a dad, then what did that make Sam? He was an uncle.

There was no way Dean was ready for fatherhood, especially with a job like his. Even if Buffy and Dean got together again and raised their daughter, the secrets would still be there and Buffy and her friends would probably be danger.

But what if they knew?

Like any normal human being, they'd think Dean and Sam were crazy and Buffy would make sure that Dean never saw his daughter again. There was no way that was going to happen.

His thoughts finally stopped when he arrived at the school. A girl, more than likely a student, opened the door slowly. She eyed Sam, before asking what he wanted.

He asked to speak with Buffy and when the girl stepped to the side, he figured that was an invitation. She said nothing as he did so, but when he finally stepped into the foyer, her demeanor changed. She began talking excitedly and ran off to find Buffy.

Sam was a little confused by her behavior, but he waited quietly for a few minutes before he walked around a little. His private tour led him to the doors of the dining room, where he saw Buffy's daughter. Not wanting to disturb her before he talked to Buffy, he started to turn around.

Something inside Sam made him turn back around as he watched as the young girl stared hard at a set of weights.

_'Was she really hoping to lift those? Did Buffy know her daughter was doing this?'_

Sam didn't know the answers, but he did know that Dean would probably be thrilled to see his daughter training.

Sam kept staring, and almost fainted when the weights lifted off the dining room table and into the air. _'How was she doing this?'_

He was suddenly reminded of Max and their connection to one another. Was his niece just like him? Did she get the visions as well?

She was definitely further along than Sam with her powers, which made him wonder if Buffy and her friends knew about this. He doubted it, seeing as how she was practicing on her own ratherthan with the backup of her family and friends.

_'Was she connected with demon?'_

With all the similarities of Sam and Max, which all pointed at the demon, then his niece must have something to do with it as well. But how?

The demon hadn't gone after Buffy, or Dean for that matter, so why give her powers?

The weights suddenly dropped as a man, Xander, Sam remembered, came into the room. He scooped her up and tickled her and left the room. "Come on Marilyn, you're supposed to be asleep."

Marilyn.

His niece's name was Marilyn.

Sam hurried from the door, intending on heading straight for his room. He noticed a business card by the door and placed one in his back pocket. They would have to keep in touch somehow, right?

He left the school, forgetting that Buffy was going to be waiting for him.

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"Sam, I can't believe you broke into the school to see her!" Dean yelled at his brother.

As soon as Sam walked through the door with a smile on his face,Dean knew he had either gotten lucky or found something out that he shouldn't know. And since Sam wasn't the type to pick up women in bars, Dean knew it was the latter.

"I had to know the truth Dean and I found out something else," Sam sighed. He knew this was going to be hard for Dean. Hell, it was hard for him.

"What, what is it?" Dean asked concerned. The way Sam's face fell sent a chill through him. What was wrong with his daughter?"

"She's, well, I think she's like me," Sam spoke quietly.

"A smart ass?" Dean smiled.

Sam shoved his brother before speaking again. "I watched her lift weights with her mind."

"Are you sure about that?" Dean quickly recovered.

"Yea, I'm sure, man," Sam nodded.

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I think I have a plot now…


	7. Your Child Too

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Authors Note:** It is now 2006, so the ages thus far are: Buffy is 25, Sam is 22, and Dean is 26...

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**Your Child Too…**

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**Cleveland, Ohio- 2006**

After Sam had told Dean what he knew about Marilyn, they had quickly come to decision that Buffy wouldn't be able to handle her powers, should her abilities spike anytime soon. They knew that Buffy was not going to just let Dean take her daughter, especially since she knew nothing about him and vice versa.

That's why Dean took it upon himself to invite Buffy and Marilyn over to talk. He was hoping he could get her to tell him that Marilyn was his.

There was a knock on the door and Dean's eyes immediately went to it. They were a little early, but luckily Sam had the sense to put anything supernatural away hours ahead of schedule. And speaking of Sam, he too had heard the knock as he came rushing out of the bathroom and trying to look calm, though Dean knew he was a little freaked.

Why? Dean had no clue. It was _his _daughter after all, so why Sam would be acting that way was beyond him.

Dean walked to the door and put his hand on the knob. He gave the room another once over before deciding that it was civilian proof and opened the door.

He didn't know what to expect, but he _did_ know he hadn't expected Marilyn to come running in and heading straight for his bed to jump on it. And apparently, neither did Sam who could only gawk at the hyper child.

"Marilyn Summers, get down from there!" Buffy screamed as she entered the room. The girl immediately stopped jumping and got off the bed. She went over to Buffy and apologized.

"Sorry, mommy," she gave Buffy her best innocent look.

"It's okay," Dean smiled. "They were bound to be messed up anyway."

Buffy smiled at Dean, but quickly looked back to her daughter when she tugged at her jeans. "Mommy, can I play with Sam while you talk to Dean?"

Buffy looked uncertain, especially since she didn't know Sam, or even Dean all that much.

"Don't worry, Sam's a kid himself," Dean dismissed the issue, "They'll be outside and you can see them out that window."

Buffy turned to her side and saw the window Dean pointed to. It was out in the open and she could, indeed, see everything from the room. She nodded her consent and Marilyn took a confused Sam by the hand outside.

He didn't know how he got roped into it, but he guessed that Buffy and Dean really needed to talk.

How wrong he was as the two just stood facing another after he left. Dean kept smiling, but said nothing. They were both nervous and didn't know what to say to the other.

Of course, Dean, in perfect Dean fashion was never one to stay quiet for long. He someone managed to blurt out, "So is she mine?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and muttered 'men' under her breath before looking him straight in the eyes. "Yes, and I felt that after last night I should confront you about it instead of not telling you."

"I appreciate that," Dean said genuinely.

"I should have contacted you somehow, but you can imagine that I freaked when I found out," Buffy said slowly. She didn't want him snapping at her for her decision.

"It's no problem, really," Dean held up his hands. "I probably would have done the same thing if I were you."

"But you weren't and I should have gone after you. Well actually, I never should have let you leave."

Dean suddenly became really interested in what she had to say.

"I didn't do what I did because I thought you wouldn't be a great dad; I just didn't know what to do. My sister and my friends were so supportive so we did what we do best. Stick together and act as a family. I never meant to exclude you from that."

Though Dean heard every word she said, he was still caught up on what she admitted about him leaving. He smirked at her before asking, "You didn't want me to leave?"

Another eye roll and Buffy sighed. "Figures you'd only hear that part and hear I am telling you how sorry I am."

"Oh I heard that," Dean shrugged. "But I already told you that I was okay with it. But I'm really interested in hearing about why you were upset that I left."

'_There he goes crossing those arms again,' _Buffy thought to herself. It was somehow a great sight to see. She remembered those arms holding her when she woke up after their night together. They protected her, but of course, the previous night had come flooding back to her and she threw him off of her.

"Fine, I'll admit it, there were some lingering feelings and I didn't want you to leave," Buffy crossed her arms and had a look on her face that screamed "I dare you to mock me!"

"Why didn't you tell me that?" Dean asked frustrated. "I didn't wanna leave."

"Didn't wanna," Buffy chuckled. "You sound like Marilyn."

"Thanks for that, and if I did stay then her name wouldn't be Marilyn," Dean said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Buffy snapped. "But she likes to go by Mari just to let you know. And if you did stay then that would have stopped my friends from trying to put a hit out on you."

"No offence, but your friends don't seem like the type," Dean smirked.

Buffy could only shrug. She didn't want to tell him that it was Angel and Spike she was talking about. She tried to hide her pregnancy for as long as she could from the two of them, but of course, being a vampire meant enhanced senses and they both sensed the two heartbeats coming from Buffy.

It took a lot of force and Willow's resolve face to stop the two angry vampires from tracking down Dean and torturing him for what he did, or what he didn't do in this case. They were upset about him and Buffy being together, but they were even more upset that he wasn't taking responsibility for his actions. They then found out that he didn't know. For some reason, that didn't quell their anger, but at least they were no longer holding secret conferences on how to handle Dean.

"We protect our own," Buffy finally spoke again.

"Well, do you think your friends would mind if I took you out for dinner?"

"I'm thinking now they'd force me into it," Buffy muttered. "I'll bring Marilyn along because she needs to know the truth."

"I completely agree with you," Dean nodded.

"Mommy, can I stay and play with Sam some more?" Marilyn asked her mother when they walked out of the apartment.

"Maybe next time, baby," Buffy scooped her daughter up in her arms. "Let's give them some time to rest, okay?"

Buffy headed for the door, Marilyn being carried over her shoulder and waving goodbye at Dean and Sam.

"So what'd she say?" Sam finally spoke when the door closed. "Since you forced me out the door, then I deserve to know."

"She didn't want me to leave," Dean turned to his brother. "And I'm taking her out to dinner to get to know Marilyn more."

"She just admitted it like that?"

"More like I asked first, but she wasn't upset about it and neither was I," Dean shrugged. "I might actually become part of a family."

Sam wanted to be happy for his brother, but Dean seemed to forget one thing. "How do we tell Buffy and her friends about what Marilyn can do? She's not just gonna let you take her, even if you become a family. She's not letting her daughter go."

"I know, Sammy, I know."

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Buffy's assumption about her friends throwing her to Dean was right. As soon as they learned about Dean being accepting of Marilyn, they quickly got her prepared for her date.

"You guys, this isn't a date," Buffy wrestled the brush from Dawn's hand. She gave her a warning look and Dawn sighed, leaving her sister alone.

"I think this counts as being date worthy," Willow nodded. She stood behind Buffy, staring at her reflection in the large mirror. "Wanting to rekindle what you once had."

Marilyn sat on her mom's lap, and though she barely understood what was going on, she agreed. "Mommy, it's a date."

"Willow, you and Dawn will no longer be telling my daughter these lies," Buffy said. "Marilyn, Dean and I are just having dinner, and you're coming along too."

"You're dating, and taking me along," Marilyn nodded.

"See, everyone can see that it's a date," Dawn took the brush again and went back to fixing Buffy's hair. Buffy only sighed dramatically and declared defeat.

"Sweetie, go pick out something for mommy," Buffy gave her daughter a push toward her closet. Buffy wasn't sure how much she inherited from Dean, but she was happy that her daughter got her sense of fashion. Even as a four year old, Marilyn knew how to dress.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Buffy stared at herself.

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Things had gone well during the initial part of the dinner. The conversation was light and without incident. Both Buffy and Dean talked about their lives before their one night stand and what happened afterward. It wasn't really the truth since they couldn't speak of their real jobs, but no one was the wiser. Or at least, that's what they thought.

Both Dean and Buffy had tried explaining to Marilyn the rest of the night that Dean was her dad, but they couldn't get the words out. It was too hard for the both of them, and Marilyn could see it.

"Mari, there's something you need to know about Dean," Buffy smiled in his direction. "He's--"

"He's my daddy," Mari continued eating her French fries as if nothing happened.

Buffy started sputtering, something she didn't usually do. And Dean just stared at his daughter, proud, but curious how she knew.

"Did Sam tell you?"

It took a moment for Mari to understand who Dean was talking about. "Uncle Sammy didn't tell me," she shook her head.

"Was it uncle Xander?" Buffy asked. She was going to kill him.

"No mommy, one night a long time ago, I asked who my daddy was and they told me it was Dean," Mari said proudly.

"Who told you?" Buffy asked, though she had her suspicions.

"The Powers That Be!" Mari giggled.

Buffy, though her suspicions were confirmed, still started choking on her water when her daughter spoke. When Dean heard his daughter, he was leaning back in his chair and he fell over at her outburst. He quickly rose, trying to look as collected as ever.

Buffy hadn't seen Dean, and he hadn't seen her. They were both in their own worlds thinking about the safety of their daughter. Buffy didn't want Dean to know about her life; he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Dean was determined, more now than ever, that Buffy wouldn't be able to deal with Mari's new powers. She could already levitate things, and now she was hearing voices! She was already advancing, and what if the demon found out about her? Buffy and her friends wouldn't stand a chance. They'd wind up like his mother and Jess. He and Sam needed to get Mari and get out of town now!

"We should probably call it a night," Dean spoke. Buffy nodded in relief and the three went their separate ways.

As Dean watched Buffy drive away, he knew he had to do two things. The first was to teach Buffy how to drive, because now that he had a child, he worried about her safety in that speeding car. The second was to call Sammy.

"Sammy," Dean spoke into his phone. "I need you to look something up for me. Try to find anything referencing to 'The Powers That Be.' Yea, I'm serious, just do it."

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A quick thing, Marilyn was using witchcraft to float to the weights in the previous chapter… Good guess on the telekinesis like Uncle Sam, though!


	8. Crackpot Theories

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Author's Note: **For all of you Sam/Willow lovers out there, this chapter might hint at something! See if you can catch it…

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**Crackpot Theories…**

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**Cleveland, Ohio- 2006**

"You wanna run that by me again?" Dean asked massaging his temples.

After telling Sam to look into 'The Powers That Be' that his daughter spoke about, he tried to find as much as he could, but he always came up with nothing.

With a sigh, Sam started his story over from the beginning.

"When you told me about the PtB thing--"

"PtB?' Dean was now utterly confused. "Where did this come from?"

"If you listened the first time, then you'd know that's an abbreviation I found," Sam snapped.

Dean threw his hands in the air in, trying to regain some control on his anger. After counting to ten, he motioned for Sam to continue.

"When I tried typing that into a search engine, I didn't get anything relevant. I went into the usual chat rooms--"

"You mean the ones where people think they actually know their stuff?" Dean smirked. "I thought you could do better then that, Sammy."

Dean was rewarded with a glare, but Sam kept speaking. "I do use these chat rooms sometimes to get information you know. Anyway, when I posted something on these 'Powers' someone contacted me."

"And what did he say?" Dean asked already bored. He didn't pay attention the first time Sam told him and he was slowly using interest this time as well.

"He was a she," Sam sighed. "A 'RedWicca' told me a lot. She's the reason why I said PtB."

"A Wicca, meaning a witch or someone who likes to think that messing with a few herbs and spices makes them a witch?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me you took advice from either a real witch or some crazy lady."

"Whoever she is the information she shared seems to be true," Sam shrugged. He turned the computer toward Dean to let him read.

Dean brought the laptop closer, a little skeptical, but he read anyway.

'_The Powers That Be, also known as the PtB or the pain in everyone's ass, are considered to be the 'Higher Power.' They aren't the only ones, but they consider themselves to work on the side of good and basically use people on Earth as pawns in their little game of fate. If something they know is going to happen, they will have one of their 'champions' stop the threat. A champion can be anyone from a regular human to a slayer, and even ensouled vampires! I know this probably wasn't the scientific answer you were looking for, but it's the truth… In compressed form. I hope this helps, SW!_

"SW?" Dean looked at his brother.

"My initials and I thought it was better to use that then some strange name," Sam shrugged.

"Like RedWicca?" Dean laughed. "So according to this information, these 'Powers' are the ones controlling everything on Earth."

"Yea, which could mean they knew about mom and they knew either dad was probably going to becontacted about the truth."

"They basically are the ones who set this all in motion?" Dean felt his anger rising again. "So what's to stop them from intervening and putting another thing like Meg on our doorstep?"

"RedWicca says they're good remember?" Sam reminded. "Even if they are a pain, I don't think they'd intentionally place us in harms way."

"But why are they talking to my daughter?" Dean asked. "She says she asked them about who her real dad was and they told her it was me. Did they really have to tell her? Why was in necessary that she know so soon?"

"Maybe it had nothing to do with her," Sam answered. "Think of it like this; maybe the demon knows about Buffy and the PtB sent you to her to protect her. Maybe Marilyn was just there way of bringing you two together".

"Then why not have us meet up? I think it's more then that. Maybe we really have to take Marilyn away from Buffy. How do you think she and her friends would react if they knew that Marilyn was developing psychic powers and a demon is after her?"

"There's nothing we can do, unless we tell them the truth," Sam shrugged.

"They'd think we were crazier than this RedWicca," Dean laughed bitterly.

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"So she just said like that, no hint of foreboding in her voice?" Willow asked her best friend. She looked down at the vampire that poked his head out from his grave and pointed in the direction of the junior slayers. "We aren't the threat, they are."

The vampire freed itself and went to attack the other slayers after seeing how they fought against his own kind.

"Yup, and she wasn't scared or anything," Buffy sighed. "I didn't see how Dean reacted, but I doubt it was anything serious."

"Now that we got Dean cleared, what do you think this means?"

"I think the Powers finally realized that I don't want to deal with their nonsense anymore so they gave it all to my daughter," Buffy practically growled.

"True, but she only asked a question that you always skirted around," Willow reminded.

"I know, but what else has she asked? Are they constantly talking to her? And what does that even mean?" Buffy asked. "I thought people who had connections like this to the Powers were either Seers or Higher Powers. Does this mean Marilyn is some goddess and we hadn't even realized it?"

"Buffy, it's okay," Willow hugged her. "We'll find out what's happening, but in the meantime, you should be setting up another date with Dean. I'm sure he wants to know his daughter a little bit more and I'm sure you want to see him again."

Buffy gave Willow a weird look, while her friend squirmed. "Willow, why can't you look me in the eye?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Willow turned to look at the slayers fighting the vampires. "I think they're doing really well, don't you think?"

"Yea, but why aren't you looking at me?" Buffy gave Willow her slayer eye. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Willow squeaked, "Just, y'know, if you and Dean happen to wind up 'together,' just wait until next Wednesday before you do."

"What!" Buffy screamed. The slayers, and even the vampires they were fighting, stopped to look at the short slayer's outburst.

"Get back to slaying!" Buffy glared at the slayers. She turned back to Willow, "You guys bet on when Dean and I would get together?"

Willow laughed weakly before nodding. "Everyone did, but that's beside the point. We need to figure out the Marilyn situation."

"We aren't done with this, but you're right," Buffy warned. "We'll just have to talk to her and tell her to not spill the beans to Dean or Sam."

"I wouldn't worry," Willow nodded. "Marilyn knows how to keep a secret."

"You're right," Buffy said as she staked a vampire that left the pack and came after them. "Now about this bet, what does the winner get?"

"Oh you know, the satisfaction of knowing that you and Dean are back together," Willow said a little too easily.

Buffy sighed and shook her head. She, and just about everyone, knew when Willow was lying. "I know you're lying, Will."

"Fine," Willow huffed. "The winner gets the night off from junior slayer patrol and gets to have anight on the town with some of the Council money."

"Next Wednesday, huh?" Buffy grinned. "Maybe I can waitfor next Friday."

"You can't!" Willow yelled. "That's the day Andrew chose and we aren't losing to that little weasel."

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"Everything is civilian ready, right?" Dean asked his brother. Buffy had agreed to let Marilyn come over again and Dean was more than grateful that she had. He didn't need Sam knowing it, but he was very excited to bea dad.

"Yea," Sam answered lamely. He was on his back on the bed flipping through a magazine. How many times had they been through this? Sam knew what he was doing when it came to proofing places.

"Anyone home?" an unfamiliar voice called through the door after she knocked.

Dean was a little surprised to find Dawn, Buffy's sister holding Marilyn's hand. "Come in," he finally said.

"Buffy couldn't come today because of some business," Dawn said. It wasn't exactly a lie. Buffy had a long night with the junior slayers and now she was hounding everyone over the bet that was made. She was pretty pissed when she found that more than just the Scoobies were playing the game.

Marilyn detached herself from Dawn and ran for Dean. She hugged his legs as he bent down to hug her. She practically jumped on top of Sam's legs on the bed.

"She seems to like her Uncle Sam," Dawn smiled.

"Yea, I guess so," Dean chuckled.

"So, do you plan on getting back together with my sister?" Dawn started her assault. "And if you do, can you plan on two weeks from today?"

"Uh, why two weeks from today?" Dean asked.

"No reason," Dawn lied. She wasn't losing this bet. "Buffy deserves a good man; she's been through enough heartache and we all want her to be happy."

"If she wants me to be," Dean answered. He wasn't supposed to be answering these questions like this. If he and Sam wanted to protect Marilyn, then they were supposed to take her away, not stay here.

"Will you be in Marilyn's future?" Dawn pressed. "Are you gonna make me a sister-in-law?"

Dean turned to look at his daughter. The look on Sam's face showed the same confusion within Dean. They didn't want to leave, especially taking Marilyn with them, but they needed answers. Not to mention they had a demon on their tails.

"I want to be," Dean finally admitted. He knew Sam would follow his decision when he smirked.

"Which question were you answering?"

"Both of them," Dean looked Dawn in the eyes.

"That's what I was hoping you would say," Dawn hugged him. She got close to his ear and whispered, "But really, be sure to show her a good time two weeks from today if you know what I mean."


	9. Confessions, Completey Unintentional

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Author's Note: **This is the chapter most of you have been waiting for… The truth comes out, in a way!

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**Confessions**

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"Put down the camera, Sam," Dean warned his brother.

Sam only laughed as he took another picture of his older brother pushing his daughter on the swings. "Don't you want to remember this day?"

"I don't need a camera for that," Dean kept his cool.

"Higher, daddy!" Marilyn giggled.

"Yea, Dean, higher," Sam snorted as he took another picture.

Dean smiled at his daughter as he pushed her higher, but glared at Sam when he did in fact take another picture.

"And to think, if it weren't for your stubbornness, we could be at the mall," Sam laughed.

When Dean and Sam had gone to pick Mari and Buffy up, they were surprised that Buffy let them go alone. She told them she trusted them enough, and Dean deserved to be alone with his daughter. That didn't stop Buffy from threatening to harm them if something went wrong, though.

The two options were the mall or the park. Dean wasn't a mall person, nor was he a park person, but the park seemed like the best plan of action.

"Mari?" Dean started. "A few nights ago, your uncle Sammy went to visit the school and he saw you doing something, something a little girl like you shouldn't be doing."

Mari turned to Sam and scrunched her face, trying to think of what her dad could have been talking about. "You saw me make the weights move!"

Dean was surprised to see her make the connection so fast. But at least it was finally confirmed that his daughter was special. He looked toward his brother and saw the look on his face.

Mari looked between her dad and her uncle and frowned. "Aren't you happy, uncle Sam? I moved it like you could."

"Way to make my daughter cry," Dean rolled his eyes at his brother as Sam bent down trying to make Mari happy again.

"Of course we're happy," Sam smiled when Mari looked at him. "Your dad and I just want to know how you did it."

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_'Remember, Mari,' Buffy told her daughter. 'We're all special and no one can know just how special we are.'_

_'But why?' Mari asked confused._

_Buffy got down on her knee and hugged her daughter. 'If people knew how special you were, then they'd take you away from me. And I don't know what I'd do to get you back.'_

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Mari wondered whether she could trust her dad and her uncle. They were special like her, but her mom still wasn't sure about them. She couldn't tell them what she was doing was really witchcraft Willow was teaching her.

"It just happened one day," Mari looked at her dad. "I had a bad dream about a monster with yellow eyes and my mommy couldn't help me. When I opened my eyes, my bed was floating."

Dean stood outside the motel room, his brother behind him, as he looked in at his daughter watching the small television.

"She had a dream about the demon, Dean," Sam pushed. "And she said Buffy wasn't in it, meaning she probably died trying to protect her from something she knew nothing about."

Dean sighed and turned around. "Yea, and she can do more than you can with these powers you possess."

And that was something Dean still didn't understand. Sam saw her lifting weights with her powers and the only time Sam did anything with those powers was when he saw Dean getting shot in a vision. How was a kid more advanced than a man in his twenties?

"But how? She's still a kid!"

"I don't know," Dean admitted. He wished he had the answers, but he was completely at a loss. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, being hopeless and he definitely didn't like it.

"Maybe I could give you a few answers," a voice interrupted the two.

Dean turned and glared. "Meg."

"Shouldn't you be dead?" Sam asked in confusion.

"If you think that was enough to get rid of me, then you underestimated me," she smirked. "But I'm not here to talk, just here to collect."

"You're not taking us anywhere," Dean pulled his gun out.

Meg rolled her eyes at the weapon, it couldn't hurt her. "I'm not here for you two."

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As a commercial came on the television, Mari grew bored. She looked out the window and smiled when seeing her dad and uncle. She was really happy they found her. She hoped her dad and mom could be together.

She saw a woman walking to her family and Mari knew she didn't like her. She got a little frightened when her dad pulled a gun out and pointed it at the woman.

It was over before it even started, but Mari didn't scream. The woman came into the room and smirked at her.

"Wanna go for a ride?" she asked.

"I can't believe I let them go off alone," Buffy scoffed as she opened her weapons trunk. She pulled out every weapon she could.

"Buffy," Willow spoke. "You have to calm down and be rational about this. You can't go guns a-blazing to this place."

Buffy held up the scythe that she pulled from the rock and strapped it to her back. She turned to Willow, "Who said anything about guns."

"Buffy."

"You can't expect me to be rational when you tell me you sensed Mari being taken away from Dean and Sam!" Buffy's voice rose.

It wasn't the news Buffy had wanted to hear when Willow had found her training some of the younger slayers. The news that Mari had been taken by a demon posing in a human's body did not stop Buffy's rampage. Those who found her walking to her room were silenced with a glare. She wasn't in the mood.

"But nothing has happened to her yet, and we still have to make sure Dean and Sam are alright, because they haven't called."

"Maybe they're a part of this," Buffy growled as the thought came. "This whole time, they pretended, only to take her away from me."

Willow could do nothing to stop the slayer, so she followed. If Dean and Sam were a part of this, Willow was going to have play referee, if she didn't hurt them first. Mari was her goddaughter after all and she had to protect her as well.

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It seemed that Meg wanted them to know where she was as she left a note for them. An apartment building, abandoned, in the city. They didn't know why, but they knew they had to go.

Dean parked the car across the street from the building and felt the anger grow stronger inside of him. She took his daughter and she was going to pay for it.

"Buffy's going to kill us," Sam reminded his brother.

"She's not going to find out," Dean told his brother.

"Dean--" Sam didn't get to finish as his brother was already out of the car and heading for the trunk. Sam calmed himself and got out.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked his older brother.

"We go in, shoot until something is dead," Dean answered.

"You know that's not going to work."

Without turning away from the trunk, Dean spoke, "I have to get her back, Sam."

"We will, but we have to think this through."

"And how do you suppose we do that, huh?" Dean yelled. He waited for his brother to answer, but he saw that Sam was distracted. Dean turned to look in the direction Sam was facing and his mouth dropped.

The location that Mari was being held at was already being breached. There was Buffy and Willow, and Buffy had just kicked down a door. A door that no man or woman should ever be able to kick down.

"Did Buffy just--"

"Yea," Sam nodded.

Something extremely weird was going on, and after everything had been solved, they were going to find out.

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Buffy walked in the building, stepping on the door in the process. It really was abandoned.

"This is kinda gloomy," Willow said after she walked in. "With a side of creepy."

"Definitely high on the creepy scale," Buffy added as she looked at their surroundings. High ceilings, several light broken and the stench of something that wasn't human.

"Your normal demon hide out," Willow nodded.

"All that's missing are the demons," Buffy said as she tried to reach out with her slayer senses.

"Buffy!" Dean called out as he and Sam made it into the building.

She turned around and felt her anger skyrocket. Without thinking, she grabbed him by the throat and held him in the air, a few inches above the ground. "Where's my daughter?"

"Buffy, let him go," Willow spoke to her best friend. "This isn't helping us find Mari."

She released her grip and Dean dropped to the ground. He felt his neck, surprised by Buffy's strength. Something was not normal about this whole situation, especially that sharp, red weapon on her back. There was no way someone of her size could do what she did.

"Where is she?" Buffy hissed.

"Someone took her from us," Sam answered, worried. "How'd you know she was here?"

"That doesn't matter," Buffy glared at Sam. "I'm here for my daughter."

"So are we," Dean finally spoke as he stood.

"Then it's just a big party, then!" Meg called out from the other side of the room. "But we can't have anymore uninvited guests."

The door that Buffy kicked down was suddenly lifted and put back in place.

"Of course, I invited some people too, just in case."

From dark corners of the room, several people appeared. They looked like average, everyday people that she picked off the street. But it was the eyes that were different. Obsidian eyes that spoke of evil.

The brothers had their guns ready, but Meg only smirked. "I don't know about those guns. Real bullets on real people might get a little sloppy."

"They're possessed," Sam said as he lowered his gun.

"I don't care," Buffy said as she punched the first person that came near. The man fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I'll leave you all alone," Meg smiled as she went out the emergency door that led to the stairs.

"Can you handle them?" Buffy asked her best friend who nodded an affirmative. She looked at Dean and Sam. "You two seem like you've done this before."

"Same to you," Dean sent a questioning look at her.

"Later," she nodded. "I'm going after Mari."

"You sure you can handle it?" Dean asked. She already started running. He watched as she flipped over two people and took them out from behind. "That's a yes, then."

----------------------------------

"Mommy!" Mari screamed when Buffy burst through the emergency floor that led to the second floor.

"He said you were special," Meg said as she sized Buffy up. "But he didn't say how."

"Is that why you took her?" Buffy glared. "To get to me?"

Meg laughed. "It's not about you. Your child is what we want. You and Dean made a special gift to this world, and we want it."

"You're not taking her," Buffy warned as she rushed Meg.

She tackled her and they both went down. Meg broke away from Buffy's grip and punched the slayer across the face. Buffy pulled back, giving Meg time to move away and stand.

Buffy swept her legs, but Meg dodged.

She jumped to her feet, just as Meg threw another punch. Buffy grabbed her arm tightly and threw her across the room, hoping to separate her from Mari.

Meg got to her feet and smirked as Buffy shielded Mari from her.

"You don't seem so eager to kill me."

"I don't kill humans," Buffy glared.

"Too bad," Meg said as she ran forward.

----------------------------------

Dean was worried about Buffy. Sure, she seemed powerful, but Meg was just as strong and had a taste for torture. He wondered how Buffy was faring.

He ducked a fist and brought his gun up to the man's face, knocking him unconscious. There were too many and he couldn't last much longer.

"Damn things just won't stop coming," Dean looked to see how Sam was faring. His brother looked just as overwhelmed.

"I'm working on it," Willow's voice seemed eerily calm. "Stay behind me."

Both brothers turned to see Willow, her eyes staring straight at the people attacking them. As they ran behind her, Dean heard her speaking in some language he didn't recognize and her hair started changing.

"White's good, right?" Dean asked his brother. He kept his hand on his gun, just in case something went wrong.

"Yea," Sam answered, unsure. Whatever she was saying had stopped and with raised hands, Willow screamed. It was hard for both of them to hear, but the people in front of them seemed to be affected more. The bodies dropped as the spirits possessing them fled the bodies, Willow's spell forcing them out.

"A mass exorcism?" Dean stood gaping. He turned to look at the witch whose hair returned to its normal color. She swayed a little, before completely collapsing. Dean caught her before she hit the floor.

"I'm good," Willow moaned. "But you have to help Buffy."

With a nod, Dean handed Willow over to Sam and was racing to help the mother of his child.

----------------------------------

"Mommy," Mari clutched at Buffy's leg.

"It's okay, baby," Buffy reassured her daughter. She was expecting this Meg to be this strong. Whenever she thought she had the upper hand, Meg always got a shot in ruining any chance of Buffy winning. But at least Buffy stopped any chance Meg had of winning.

And she was not going to kill her. She may have been a murdering bitch, but it was the demon inside her that was a murdering bitch. The girl was innocent. But Meg was leaving her no choice.

She pulled the scythe from her back, getting a low whistle from Meg.

"Nice weapon. Too bad you aren't going to be able to use it."

The emergency door was thrown open. As Meg turned around, a shot rang through the air. Meg looked from Dean to the bullet in her shoulder in, what Dean could see was, shock and annoyance.

"Are you kidding me with this?" Meg shrieked. "You know it's not going to do anything to me."

"But this will," Buffy's voice came from behind her. Meg turned, only to be smacked by the side blade on the scythe, sending her flying.

"Mari!" Buffy called out for her daughter. Her girl ran into her arms and Buffy started walking to the exit. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yea, but Willow's wiped out. There no way we can exorcise Meg without her. We don't have enough supplies for it in the car," Dean sighed. He had hoped they could take of her for the last time, but without Willow there was nothing they could do except leave her.

Or kill her. She _did _go after his daughter, after all.

That thought scared him. Just what would Dean do to save those he cared for?

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Expect the next update to, hopefully, be up sooner than this update was. It's just the explanations, maybe a bit more. Review please!


	10. Yours, Mine and Ours

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

----------------------------------

**Yours, Mine and Ours…**

----------------------------------

Willow looked at Sam, who in turn, looked at Dean. Dean looked at Willow, not wanting to have eye contact with Buffy. The slayer also refused to look at Dean, and concentrated on looking between Sam and Willow. The anger she was feeling about Dean taking her daughter had left, to be replaced by… Something she couldn't explain. She just knew she couldn't look at him at the moment.

The ride back was a different story. Sam and Dean were driving behind Willow and Buffy. There was conversation in both cars about what to say and how to say it. When the four had arrived, Sam and Dean started to really take notice to the school they entered. This wasn't an ordinary private school.

Willow and Buffy had taken them to the same dining room they had been before, and they sat in silence.

After the dodgy looks, something in Sam's head finally clicked. He looked at Willow, who stared right back.

"You're RedWicca." It was more of a statement than a question.

Willow's face seemed to scrunch up as she tried to think about what Sam meant. Upon realizing, her eyes widened, "Oh goddess, you're SW."

"This is who you got the information from about those Powers That Be?" Dean turned to Sam.

----------------------------------

"How goes the Mexican standoff?" Faith asked. She stood above a kneeling Dawn as she peaked inside the room through the cracked door.

"They're finally talking," Dawn answered. She stood up from her position and looked at Faith. "Mexican standoff, Faith?"

"Too much time with Andrew," she shook her head. "They better hurry up, Mari is worrying."

"I can handle this," Dawn smirked as she threw the doors open. The four adults looked at the source of the interruption with a questioning gaze. Dawn stopped at the end of the table and pointed to Buffy and Willow. "Vampire slayer and witch."

She pointed to Dean and Sam after. She had an idea on what they did, but didn't want to assume. "And you two?"

"Hunters," Sam answered when Dean didn't.

"All you need to know is that Buffy is basically one of the many leaders at this school where we train other slayers. If you want to know about slayers, that's for another time," she waved it off. "Now, we know there are other hunters out there, so what's your specialty?"

"Spirits and demonic possessions," Dean finally spoke.

"I'm smelling alliance because slayers are all about hitting things they can, well, hit and you can't do that with a spirit unless you have a witch around and they can't people who are possessed," Dawn nodded as the thoughts came. "And since you're here, you will be coming in contact with things you probably can't handle, and that's where a slayer comes in."

"Dawn," Buffy rolled her eyes. "Back on topic, please."

Shaking her head and putting her thoughts of an alliance at the back of her head, Dawn got back to her topic, "You're all here because you care about Mari, so for her, can you please put aside any anger you feel. Buffy, you know Dean didn't take Mari away just to give her to that woman. And Dean, Mari is being protected here. We know about the things she can do. So, talk, because she really wants to see her mom and dad and Uncle Sam."

Saying her piece, Dawn walked away from the table and left the room, passing Faith who heard the whole conversation. "Way to go."

"They just needed a kick to the ass," Dawn nodded. "Let's go check on Mari."

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She was very smart for her age, or so her aunt Willow said. And since Aunt Willow was very smart, then she had to be right. She had been taking lessons from her about witchcraft. Her mom didn't like it, but whenever she got upset and sad, things would happen, so her Aunt Willow convinced her mom that she needed help with it.

Mari loved being a witch. She couldn't do much, but she could control her magic when she cried or yelled. And she could levitate stuff, too. Her lessons with Willow were more about control, though, so Mari had to learn witchcraft in other ways. The slayers had to learn potions, so Mari would watch and they'd let her. They didn't think she'd actually learn anything so quickly.

They were wrong.

After being taken by that lady, Mari saw that her parents were uneasy around one another. She thought the entire thing was her fault because she wasn't a better witch like her Aunt Willow and she wasn't a slayer like her mom.

"Mari, there you are, what are you doing?" Dawn's voice cut through the young girl's thoughts. She was already putting the potion together as Dawn and Faith walked into the room and before the two adults could stop her, Mari threw in the last ingredient.

"Crap, where is she?" Faith yelled as the room filled with a foul smelling smoke. The smoke started to clear and there, in the center of the room was Mari.

"Um, I think we found her," Dawn stared.

----------------------------------

"So, there's a demon that killed your mom and gave Sam special abilities and the woman today, Meg, was it, came to bring Mari to him?" Buffy tried to sum everything up. "And you, Sam, thought you saw Mari levitating stuff using powers the demon may have given to her?"

"That's about it," Sam nodded.

"Wow, alright, I can see how you thought Mari was special like yourself, but she was actually using witchcraft," Buffy explained.

"You're teaching her how to be a witch!" Dean snapped.

"She showed an aptitude for it and if we didn't start soon there would be no telling what she would do when she got older," Willow defended her goddaughter.

"If you're going to start telling me how to raise my daughter, then you can leave right now."

"I see we aren't getting anywhere," Dawn appeared at the door.

"That's not true, Dawn," Willow shook her head. "We discovered why that woman tried to take Mari and we're just discussing how to handle it. Dean needs to wrap his head around witchcraft, that's all."

Dean snorted and shook his head in disbelief. Witchcraft was never really his strong suit, but he knew that those that practiced it for real often had problems with it. "I'd just appreciate it if my daughter didn't go off the deep end. How's that workin' for ya?"

Both Buffy and Dawn winced as Willow stood from her chair and fled the room.

"She's already been through it," Buffy sighed. "And she's fine now, and _we'd _appreciate it if you could stop blurting things out like that."

"Good luck," Sam rolled his eyes.

"And there went our best chance for solving what just happened to Mari," Dawn walked to the table and sat in Willow's vacant seat.

"What happened?" Buffy locked eyes with her sister.

"Come on out, Mari," Dawn gestured to the entrance of the room. All eyes followed Dawn's arm as Mari stepped into their line of sight. What greeted them was not a four-year-old girl, but a teenager.

"Hi, mom," Mari waved, "dad, uncle Sam."

"Dawn, why is my daughter fifteen?" Buffy asked calmly.

"Sixteen, mom."

"Oh, right, that makes it so much better."

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_After months of waiting, I felt I should at least give you something. It may be not its usual length, but it's something. I have not abandoned this story! …I just get distracted, is all._


	11. Short Story Long

**Head First**

**Disclaimer:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

**Summary:** After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

**Spoilers:** Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

**Author's Note: **I've decided to end this here. That decision may or may not last.

--

**Short Story Long**

--

'_I've run the gamut of the supernatural, before meeting you all, anyway, I think I can handle a teenager for a few weeks. Sammy turned out okay.'_

Dawn was pretty sure Dean was eating his words right about now. Refraining from smiling, she lazily flipped through her magazine. She wasn't really focusing on the articles, or even the pictures, she was just trying to waste time until Mari came back in the room. She and her niece decided to test Dean's words by pushing every fatherly button he had.

Minutes prior to Dawn looking at her magazine, she and Mari were playing dress up, or what they had called, "give Dean a heart attack". Both young women had asked willing slayers if they had any clothes that fit Mari's, now grown up, body. The one requirement? The skankish the better. More than willing to help the two, Mari was set on clothes and had taken her findings back to Dawn's room where they found the perfect outfit for her dad.

Brought out of her thoughts by the door slamming against the wall, Mari ran in the room, jumped for the bed and landed face first. Blindly searching for a pillow, Mari found what she was looking for and covered her head with it.

Thinking about what to say, Dawn thought about what it was like for her at Mari's age. Even after finding out about her being the Key, and proving her worth, but before leaving Sunnydale, the Scoobies had continued to shelter Dawn and treat her like a kid. She knew saying the wrong thing to Mari would make her a bit of hypocrite, so she decided on another route.

"So he loved the outfit, then?"

"Beyond loved it," Mari's voice was muffled due to the pillow over her head.

Sarcasm must run in the family, Dawn figured.

Looking again at Mari's outfit, Dawn tried to figure out just what piece of clothing set Dean off. Could it have been the thigh length white mini skirt? It could have been. Could it have been the navy blue crop top that showed off her assets? Perhaps. Could it have been the fact Mari purposely wore a dark colored thong to show through the white skirt? Probably.

"His first reaction was priceless, his jaw actually dropped, like in the cartoons, y'know?" she spoke again. She at least had the decency to remove the pillow and sit up, and now leaned against the headboard, the pillow in her lap.

"Wish I could have gotten that on cam--" She stopped short when Mari pulled threw her a digital camera. "I knew there was a reason you were my favorite niece."

"I'm only your niece, Dawn," Mari rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway.

"What happened afterward?" Dawn's eyes were busy looking through the camera, laughing softly at seeing Dean's face, jaw actually hitting the table he was sitting at.

"Well, mom seemed upset, but I think she got the joke cause she started laughing. Willow rolled her eyes, but didn't seem mad. Uncle Sam blushed and looked anywhere but at me," she giggled at the memory. "Faith said something about taking me to a bar with her and teaching me to get guys to do whatever I wanted them to do and that's what got Dad going."

It was no secret that Faith and Dean got along like Buffy and cars; it just didn't happen. And everyone was sure Faith and Dean would get along, and some even figured if Buffy hadn't already had Dean's child, then he and Faith would be bumpin' uglies. But Dawn had a few ideas as to why they didn't see eye to eye, one of which being Mari. While both Dean and Faith were wild, it was clear he didn't want Faith's wild side to affect Faith. If he could attempt to tone it down, he expected Faith to do the same. What Dean didn't understand was that, in the few short weeks he stayed with them, Faith _was _toning it down.

"He started going on and on about how no child of his was gonna be going to any bars until I was thirty," Mari continued. "You'd think Faith not so kindly reminding him that since he was absent for my birth and all the years afterward made him my father and not my dad would have shut him up, but nope, he kept going."

"I'm sure he didn't like that," Dawn frowned. She'd have to talk to Faith later about saying stupid things like that. Well, she'd have to struggle speaking to Faith and hope she didn't run after her with a weapon after talking to her about saying stupid things. It wasn't Dean's fault he wasn't here for Mari's childhood; he didn't know she even existed.

"I don't really think he heard it, he just kept yelling about my clothes and how with him here, things were going to change in how I was being raised, which at that point, I started yelling, cause hello, sixteen here!" She threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"You know it's only temporary, honey, right?" Dawn reminded her. Willow was sure she knew what Mari did to make her older, but she didn't want to reverse it because she didn't want to make a mistake. As one of the most powerful Wiccan's in the world, she could take down several enemies with a wave of her hand, but when having to do a spell on her best friend's child, she was a nervous wreck. She was too worried that she'd cause something else to happen, so she didn't do anything. Instead, she found that the spell would wear off in a few weeks.

They were only on week one.

"I know," Mari nodded. Pointing to herself, "This face is all with the knowing."

The language of the Scoobies was too easy to be picked up, Dawn noted. Either that or Mari was really observant and picked up on everything. She sounded very much like her mother with that simple sentence.

"Oh, and then he threw everything off the table, pulled the table cloth off and covered me with it when Andrew walked in the room."

"He does know Andrew is--"

"Guess not," Mari shrugged. "I managed to get out from the stupid thing and assert some form of independence before he said it."

"What'd he say?"

"It was something like no child of his was going to be dressed like a whore," she sniffed, trying to hold the tears in. She already cried on her run to Dawn's room, and she wasn't about to cry anymore. "I don't really know what happened next. I remember mom standing up, not happy with him, but she sat back down smirking. I'm pretty sure that's when I took him to the ground with a move Faith taught me, and then I ran here. Oh goddess, I attacked my own dad."

Reassure Mari with a hug, Dawn made sure she knew that what she did was not her fault, and Dean totally deserved everything he got. Making sure she was comfortable, Dawn left her room and headed for the others, trying to figure out just how she was going to approach Dean about this.

--

Learning that her daughter was now a teenager, at least for a few weeks, she could handle. Trying to remember not to baby her daughter for these few weeks, she could handle. Watching her daughter dress inappropriately to scare her dad, she could handle. Hearing Dean basically calling their daughter a whore, and having her daughter throw Dean to the floor, she could handle.

But what was it she couldn't handle? Absolutely nothing.

For the first time in a long time, Buffy Summers had finally found her definition of normal. She helped to run an entire school of slayers, while still finding down time with her best friends and sister, Dawn. She had a daughter who she loved very much and would gladly take down anyone and anything who tried to take her away, and she was mending her relationship with the father of her daughter. And she still managed to kick demon butt at least every Tuesday.

Yes, life was good, and normal.

She was vaguely aware of Dawn walking in the room during her thinking.

"How long has he been like that?" Dawn directed her gaze from Dean, on the floor, to Buffy.

"Since Mari put him there," Buffy answered, and with awe in her voice, "So about five minutes."

Using her foot, Dawn prodded Dean's body. "Is he okay?"

"His pride sure ain't," Faith smirked. "Taken down by a teenager, who used to be a little kid, and with a move I taught her! Justice is what it is."

Bending down next to him, Dawn saw her opportunity and took it. Slapping him, Dean jerked off the floor, ready to swing when he noticed who attacked him. She knew he was awake on the floor, but she just really wanted to slap him.

"What was that for?" He finally spoke, rubbing his still stinging cheek. She may not have been slayer, but it still hurt. "She shouldn't be going around dressed like that, especially with guys--"

"What guys, Dean?" Dawn questioned. "The only ones here are you, Sam, Xander, Andrew and a bunch of old, uptight Watcher's. If they haven't gone after their slayers, they aren't gonna go after Mari. And it's not like you've given her freedom to leave the building."

"Still shouldn't be dressed like that," Dean's only argument was failing fast, and he knew it.

"Lighten up, yo. It was a joke," Faith shook her head. She needed to get out the room before she took Dean's head off.

Watching Faith leave, Dawn was glad for _that _confrontation to be diffused. She didn't want another bloodbath in the dining room. And what did that say about her life that she actually tacked the word "again" on the end of that sentence? She really needed a life outside of slaying if she was able to think of two other occasions in which the dining room was used during a fight.

"Really, Dean, didn't you see it?" Buffy spoke once more. "In the past week, has she ever dressed like that? You said you could handle being a dad."

"But you failed," Sam finally found his voice to speak. He was silent throughout the entire scene only because he was observing the others. Yes, when Mari walked in, he was tempted to shield her, but decided that blushing may have been better. It didn't take him long to see that she was trying to get rise out of Dean. It had worked, but Sam remained quiet. He was looking at the reactions of everyone else. This was nothing for them, having a child use magic to age herself did nothing to surprise them, and he wondered what other stories they had that they didn't share yet.

"Not you, too, Sam?" Dean frowned. "You'd just let her go out like that?"

"If she had actually meant to go out like that, I don't think anyone in this room would let her," he answered. Looking at the gathered faces, Buffy, Dawn, and Willow, he knew he was right. If Mari had even attempted to leave dressed like that, Dean wouldn't even make it to her to cover her because the rest of her family would have already done the job.

"He's right, Dean," Willow smiled. "We have been at this for a few years."

"I know."

Knowing he was defeated, Dean sat in the closest chair, which was next to Dawn. He didn't how he had managed to go from the cool, laid back guy he was to the dad from Hell. He definitely wasn't going to be winning any father of the year awards any time soon. But it had to mean something that was he was protective of her, right?

"It means that you love her, even with only knowing her a little while and she knows that. We all know that," Buffy smiled at him. He hadn't realized he spoke his last thought out loud.

"And you were right, Sam did turn out fine with you basically raising him," Dawn put a comforting arm on his shoulder, happy he didn't shrug it off. "You just have to remember, you're dealing with a female, not a male, unless Sam has something to tell us."

That, at least, got a snort out of Dean, who turned to his brother whose face turned red with all the attention

"Trust me, he's all male," Buffy said without any hint of joking, and without thinking. While everyone turned to her, Sam's already blushing face turned a darker shade.

"What the hell, how would you know?" Dean's voice turned cold, more than he hoped to use.

Realizing what she said, Buffy groaned. "Crap."

"She came in this morning, when you were in the shower," Sam managed to say.

"I forgot to knock cause we can all usually sense one another so it's kinda pointless and because I'm the luckiest slayer alive, Sam was naked."

"Why?" Dean really wanted to know. He didn't like it, but he was jealous and random stories were popping up in his head. Was Buffy waiting for Dean to be away from his brother so she could hit on Sam? Were they both already together and just laughing it up behind his back?

"I was putting on underwear when she came in," he answered, "Stop looking at me like that."

The jealousy bug was calmed a little at Sam's answer, but he was still upset that Buffy had now seen both brothers naked. Even more questions were being formed in his mind, but he kept them to himself.

"Alright, we've established that Sam is, indeed, a man, we can get back on topic," Willow took control. "Until this spell wears off, Dean, you're either gonna have to accept Mari as being a teenager, or let us take care of her while you go away somewhere."

"I'm not going anywhere," that much he knew.

Smiling back at him, Willow nodded, "I was hoping you'd say that."

"So what's the plan?"

The question came from Dawn, and Willow considered. "I think maybe you'd know the best, Dawnie. You've spent the most time with Mari, what do you think she'd want?"

While she did agree that she knew the teenage Mari the best, only because Dawn was closest in age to her within in the Scooby gang, she wasn't sure. "I know for sure she wants to spend time off grounds, and I'm thinking Dean should spend the day with her, maybe even all of us? Blood family, for sure, and I know she'd want talk Willow's ear off about magic. Xander probably wants to make her into a troublemaker, and Faith would probably spend the day training her. And, here's hoping she doesn't like comic books after Andrew gets his hands on her."

"We'd have to run this by her," Buffy piped in, "I've had many plans blow up in my face when I ran people's lives for them."

"I'll get her," Dean stood, "I've gotta say something to her."

--

The walk to Dawn's room to find Mari was one Dean could have gone without, at first. Immediately after climbing the stairs, he found several glares directed toward him. It would seem someone must have heard him yelling at his daughter and spread the gossip around. Either that or they all heard Mari talking to Dawn when she found her. He cursed slayer hearing as his thoughts slipped to what he'd say to Mari.

Besides apologizing, he needed to know what she wanted to do and he hoped he had the decency to not being upset at her trying to be independent.

Approaching the door, Dean snuck his head in and grinned when he saw Mari lying on her stomach looking at a magazine. It was hard to believe that he had a daughter, but there she was, living proof of her existence. It was even harder to believe that even though she was really four years old, she was already powerful. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but from staying at S & W United in the past few weeks, he knew she'd be cared for. He wondered if he could ever settle down with her and Buffy.

"Dad?" Mari had looked up when she felt someone at the door. Wide eyed, she sat up on her knees, trying to decide if he was going to yell some more. "I didn't mean to do it, really!"

"Hey, don't worry about it," he walked in further. "I deserved it, shouldn't have said that stuff."

"I should have told you right after that I was joking," she stood. "I mean, I only remember the first four years of my life, but I remember that mom and her friends always joke like that. I should have known to treat you and Uncle Sam different."

"Don't blame yourself," he tried stopping her. "I just shouldn't have overreacted like that. And you shouldn't change how you act. I can't get to know the real you if you censor yourself."

Never let it be said that Dean Winchester knew how to handle touching moments. He was good for maybe one or two a year and he was fresh out. Sam was the one who knew what to do and say when stuff like this happened.

"Okay," she smiled, noticing his discomfort. Walking over to him, she hugged him, her head hitting his chest. "Love you, dad."

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tightly. "Love you, too."

Pulling away, he smiled. "We're deciding on what to do with you until this spells wears off downstairs. Figured you want in on how to run your life."

"Oh, let's go!" she yelled, pulling his arm and racing from the room.

--

The smile Buffy radiated as soon as Dean and Mari came barreling in the room was enough that everyone on the grounds could feel it. She and Dean may not be considered a couple, she wasn't really sure what they were, but seeing her daughter and her father together made her feel…

Happy.

She was going to have to talk with Dean about the future.

While Mari pulled Dean around the table, Willow moved down, making room for the family to sit together. Dawn sat on the opposite side of Buffy, with Sam next to Dawn.

Sitting down, Mari smiled, "So, let's get decidey."

"'Decidey'?" Dean echoed. Turning toward the mother of his child, he said, "I blame that language on you."

"Blame accepted," Buffy rolled her eyes. What was wrong with the way she spoke?

"We figured, if you agreed, that you would be able to actually explore off the campus and hang out with the Scoobies and the slayers you were closest to as a kid," Dawn spoke.

"Really?" Mari squeaked. Looking at her parents, she smiled, "You're serious, and I can actually go into town?"

"Yes, sweetie, and after that, me, you and your dad should spend some family time together," Buffy answered, hugging her daughter.

"So I can do anything?"

"No clubs," Dean cut in. "Not even teen ones. Any days you go off with Faith, I'll be around."

"Dad," Mari whined. "You can trust Faith with me."

Seeing Dean's pleading eyes, Buffy stepped in, "Mari, it's not about trusting Faith with you. This woman is still around and her boss I'm sure is not happy with any of us. It's not safe for you to be alone and unprotected and we're gonna do whatever we can to stop anything from happening to you. Without being too extreme."

While she new Dean really did mean he didn't trust Faith with Mari, Buffy thought to bring up the other pressing issue, instead.

"I want a squadron of slayers at her back," Dean insisted.

"Not that extreme," Buffy frowned. Had this been years ago in Sunnydale with Dawn, she would have agreed, but that overprotective sister got left behind. Mostly. "We'll have a small team, on standby, or hanging around giving Mari breathing room."

"If I have no other choice, I'd definitely prefer that option," Mari nodded.

"It's all set then," Dean nodded. Standing and walking away, he continued, "We'll have ten slayers showing Mari around and she'll be back before sundown."

Staring after her dad, Mari glared at his back, "Did he just--"

"Oh yea," Buffy nodded. "He took command of something that was most definitely not his and is controlling your life."

"Some might call that annoying," Willow nodded.

"Or being a parent," Dawn added.

--

Knocking first, Buffy slowly pushed open the door that led to Sam and Dean's shared room. She already made that mistake once and while it wasn't exactly a bad sight to see, she'd rather not have a repeat performance. She was sure Dean was a little peeved at her for the incident.

"Hey."

His eyes were too busy reading over the book in his front of his face for him to look up and acknowledge her. She didn't need to ask what the book dealt with to know what it was about. He was searching for answers as to why his daughter was so highly sought after from this demon that plagued his family.

"You know, we have whole teams of researchers who can do this for you, and they are," she spoke.

"Not fast enough," he muttered, turning the page.

"Dean," Buffy took the book and threw it on the bed, "We need to talk."

"Are you gonna lay into me about the ten slayers comment, too?" Dean sighed.

"No, well yea, but only this, if she's really our child, she'll find a way to get around that and you know it."

"Anything else?"

He knew Buffy was right, but hey, he was stubborn and protective. What else was he going to do, actually let his daughter have freedom?

"Yes, we need to talk about us," she spoke slowly. "We need to do what's best for Mari, but also what's best for us, if that makes sense."

"What do you think is best?"

Taking a second to collect her thoughts, Buffy tried to express how she felt. "I know that when my parents got divorced and my dad came to visit me in Sunnydale, I kinda hoped he and mom would get back together. I think Mari feels the same way right now. We're both here together and it's not like we had messy break up or anything, so what's stopping us from, y' know, being together?"

Smirking, Dean relaxed in his chair, "So you do still want me, then?"

Rolling her eyes, Buffy groaned, "Why does everything have to be a jo--" he stood while she spoke, "kinda with the closeness there."

Smirking again, Dean pulled Buffy forward, her lips pressed against his. Pulling apart, "We'll just start over."

"No secrets?" Eyes staring straight at him.

"Don't get all girly on me," he snorted.

She pulled away as he leaned in again, "Well then you're in the wrong relationship then."

"Seriously, thought all you slayers liked weapons?"

"If you can get it in pink then we're set," she laughed at his face. Leaning in again, she met his lips.

Twenty minutes later, Mari found them in the exact position, along with Sam and Dawn. The news that Buffy and Dean were back together had made it through the entire campus within an hour.

--

_While the ending may have been rushed, remember, I may have finished the story, but I have not finished with this universe._


End file.
